Sense and Sufferance
by daikota-akira
Summary: Fifteen years has passed since Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Toph is too busy being a Chief of Republic City while Sokka is the Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe. The two of them meets again, decided to recalling the good old days they had spent together, to take a vacation as a travel buddy.


First of all, I greatly apologize for my imperfect english grammar. English isn't my first language, I'm still learning everyday. And this is my first english ff I've ever post, and I decided to give it a try and write this on English because I'm really in the mood xD

This story setup on fifteen years after Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Toph and Aang is 27, Katara 29, Sokka and Zuko are 30 and 31. It mainly focused on the character development which is Toph and Sokka, eventually some smut and angst(and fluff). But the others character will show up and give some sparky-sparky-boom things to them.

Hope somebody will read and enjoy this story! Have a good day! :) yay

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It was such a rare afternoon when she heard from one of her subourdinate said that The Avatar has come to the Repucblic City to meet her outside. Toph knows what _is_ he doing here. Must be concern of all of this crazy criminals that suddenly showed up out of nowhere even after The War has ended.

So she stepped outside of her office to face him. She sense a similiar form of feet, and she knows it so well who it is. It's Twinkles Toes's.

"What are you doing here, Aang? I told you, I have this under control." she snap it out.

Aang turned away to face the voices source. He can't hide his admiration of Toph's appareance right now. The Avatar knows that she is the first Chief of Republic City for a years, but it doesn't cover his awe when he saw her with her metal armor this time. Of course, he and Katara had met her oftenly after the war. Nothing has changed and they still hang out together, but it is rare to see her in official metal armor like this.

It really suits for her, he thoughts. She is the greatest earthbender in history, maybe all the time. She's the one who had taught The Avatar earth bender when they were a twelve year old kid, and _still_ his master earthbender. That uniform really represents her strength and her style, really demonstrate how strong and how fearless she is. The fact that his childhood friends single handedly discover metal bender can't stop him to amaze by her everyday.

"Under normal circumstances I wouldn't get involved. But if what those victims said is true, we're not dealing with a normal criminal." he said.

Toph doesn't really need his help, really, she meant it. She doesn't mean to brag herself and her elite brigade has successfuly arrested them without any particular obstacle. But she understand his concern for her as a friends. Fifteen years ago she would be pissed her off and yelled at him, easily offended by his worries, assumed that he thinks she is weak as her parents used to.

But those days had passed too quick, she can tell she miss the old gang. And seeing him here to meet her after a while make her wonder what are the others doing right now? She is way too busy to catch (and yelled at them was the most satisfying part) a bunch of criminal in Republic City. So, Toph wasn't really catch up with them lately. Somehow she feels bad for herself.

Media had brought this criminal gangs of chi-blocks way too exaggerate, and maybe it's normal for him to worries.

She sighed, "Fine, follow me, _twinkle toes_."

"Toph. Its been fifteen years since the war has ended, I'm twenty seven now, you think you can stop with the nicknames?" he complained. She smirks at his whinning, _not change at all_. But he still follow her though, and she can hear him sighed as he annoyed, and it makes even more amusing to see him irritated.

"Afraid not, twinkle toes."

They ended up at the court room where is the unusual criminal Aang stated before sat with a handcuffs on their hands. The council represent delegation of the four nation, Earth Nation, Fire Nation, Northern Water Tribe has already here to judge. The Southern Water Tribe hasn't arrive, which is unusal. And an exception for the Air Nation, since it's only Aang, and Aang is here only to watch them judge the Chi-blockers gang and see everything is under control as she said.

It wasn't her bussines to judge their sin, she is only the chief of Republic City. Her job is only to catch and bring them to the court.

The trial is about to begin when a sudden bang suprised everybody in the room. She listen a panting breath and sense a rough step approaching the council's table as she assumed it was the man who slammed the door.

"Sorry, sorry, everybody I'm late. Did I miss it?"

 _No way…_

"No, Sokka of The Southern Water Tribe, have a seat. We're about to start it." said one of the delegation.

Is it _really_ Sokka?

She can't remember when is the really last time she met Sokka.

It was way too long to remember, she thought.

She is unsure of herself why did she never meet Sokka again. It's because of their different aim, perhaps. Toph is still visiting the others old gang or be visited by them periodically.

She sometimes visit Aang and Katara in their home at the Air Temple nearby, or otherwise. Zuko and Mai often visit the Republic City and they never forget to greet her at the Head Quaters. Meanwhile she heard Suki and Ty Lee is back at the Kyoshi island but sometimes they were in town as a warrior to help her several times, and Sokka at his own hometown at the Southern Water Tribe in the South Pole.

Way too far.

Toph conviced herself that is the truth and it's not her fault though, so she won't feel as a bad friends to him.

She listen to Sokka's long admission about how this Chi-blockers once enter the Southern Water Tribe last year and robbed and threated the civilians with their ability.

"I've met several people with a strange ability before when I travelled with The Avatar. There was guy who exploded things from their forehead, I called him Combution Man, The Crazy Old Woman with her weird prediction towards the future and some people might called it a talent when they born."

He sounds still the same, his lame joke is still there eventhough he is in a damn serious trial for a Shi-blockers criminal gangs who haunted Republic City for a long time ago.

"But as you can see, somepeople born with a hardwork. I've known another Chi-blockers, Ty Lee, she learned it by herself when she was in circus, over there we have our great Chief Toph Beifong who single handedly discover metal bending we might never think it'll be able to bend, and developed it by herself with a hard working."

She can tell, he is now looking at her standing on the side of the room, maybe with his stupid grin.

"I believe there is always an option to be a good or bad people. This Chi-blocker infront of us has chosen the wrong side, threatened people with their ability and it is not something good. I suggest them to be in a lifetime jail."

The court goes smoothly as she expected, nothing bad happened. The Council read their crime, stated how their thank The Chief, Toph Beifong and her elite brigade who went an undercover mission and successfully ambushed them, and then decided their punishment. And suddenly a burden that she carried for two years lifted up from her shoulders when she heard The Council knocked their hammer.

It almost like the same sense of relieved and victory when Aang end the hundred years war with Fire Lord Ozai, but at the same time she feels the similiar empty as it end. And she dislikes it somehow, perhaps.

Toph and her elite brigade has tracked them relentlessly for the past two years. She directly involved on the undercover mission to track this secret Chi-blockers thugs. At first, it felt uncomfortably weird when she disguised as a blind woman, when naturally she _is_.

But it was thrilling at the same time, the same feeling as she travelled with Aang, like disguised as a Fire Nation Civilians, when she really into the gangs of this Chi-blocker criminal, threatned and robbed here and there. Meet a wide range of people, gather intel, learning names and then ambushed them.

The Council ended the trial, as people scatter out of the room, she still waits there. Wait for Aang and Sokka. It's been a rough two years for her, eventhough she's kinda enjoyed it, so it's okay for her to take a break and catch up with her childhood friends especially Sokka, right?

"Hei, Toph, it's been a while, isn't it?" The boomerang man says as he approach her, he didn't expect to be rewarded by great punch on his arm from Toph.

"Ow!" he winces and stroking his tricep, "What was that for?" he yelps.

Toph grins widely, "That's how I demonstrate that I missed you. And it's been taking forever, _snoozles_." she says. He smiled at her old nickname to him, than wraps his hands to around her tiny body compared his shoulder blade, embraces her warmly. She replied it, placed her cheek against his chest, she feels a fine heartbeat there, gladly to knows and feels that Sokka is in a good condition after all.

She can smell the saltiness and seaweed–ocean, of South Water Tribute from his body, similiar smell as she can remember when they were a kid.

"You smells good! The same as of your old stinky sleeping bag a long time ago." she sniffs once again and free her self, lifting her two hands and slowly brought her finger to his sharp chin, up to the cheeksbones where she can feels unusual rough material spread around on it, then to his temple.

"What is that?" she asks. Sokka narrows his brows unsure what was she referring to, because now Toph palming his figure, his suprisingly muscle arm, to his wide chest and last to his shoulder blades."What is what?" he asked.

She just realized, Sokka's figure had changed so much than anyone, there is no longer an thin teenage Sokka like the last time she had met him. He is way more manly and she can tell he had grown up very well. His body proportion was suprising her the most.

Toph look up to him to feels his breath brushing around her hair. He is taller than ever, she is _so_ short compared him eventhough she had grown up too. His body now has fullfilled with a fine muscle young man, must be from exercising, and a pair of strong arm probably from swimming.

"What is this?" she repeated herself while palming his beard, not that bunch of beard that an old man usually has, but a rough thin one spread haphazardly around his chin. "Is that a goatee?"

He smiled brightly, "Yeah, feel that, Toph. Feel a goatee's chieftain of Southern Water Tribute." he said proudly. She chuckled at the moment, noticing that himself not changed at all.

"You are a chieftain, right now?" she asks with a tone of sarcasm as always she used around him, "Must be there is no other option then, so they had to choose you."

Sokka laughs hard at her, still the same annoying laugh he always did.

"Wow… you've gotten so old, Sokka!" she says exicted, palming his tricep once again. Sokka smiled at her exictment. "You too, Toph. I thought you were gonna removed that big bundle bun on your head."

She folded her arms on her chest, "No way, that's Chief Toph Beifong The Greatest Earth Bender On Earth's signature."

"Anyways, that metal armor stuff really suits you, Toph." he said. She place her hand to her waist, proudly to showed it off. "You think so? I designed it by myself!"

"Hey Sokka." Aang joined the two of them and hug Sokka as well. "It's good to see you two finally meet."

"Says that to the one who live on the South Pole and never return here!" Toph says pointing at Sokka. Sokka brushed her hand off of his face. "Well I was here several times to visit Zuko, Aang and my dearest sister." he said.

She frowns unexpectedly got that answer from him, "Wait… you did?"

"Yep."

"Then why didn't you visit me?"

"Asks it to the one who's being a Chief and catch a criminal and nowhere to be found." he says sarcastically. She grinned, and scratching her back awkwrdly, forgot how busy she was for several years.

"Why don't you guys catch up some things and visit the Air Temple to meet Katara? She must be delightfull to meet both of you." Aang suggest while he put his hands over their shoulders and walked with them. "We can get on Appa."

Sokka released an annoying hooray that surprisingly she misses to hear that. "We can get on Appa? How's that fuzzy bison again? Did he finally ate Momo?"

"Sokka! He is not eating Momo!" she yelled, suddenly Sokka's presences made her felt like rewind the good old time they had spent before.

"Guys, hurry, Katara might be throw up again," Aang whines looking at his childhood friend are walking(and talking) too long to get on Appa. "Why does _Sugar Queen_ want to throw up?" Toph asks and grab Aang's hand as she climbed on the Sky Bison again after a long time ago, "Hei Appa, it's nice to see you again!" she said, patting the fuzzy giant animal, and replied it with a lazy roar.

Aang looks unsure if this the right time to tell them, no one knows this news, yet. But he decided why not, "Well, she's already 2 months."

"WHAT?" both of Toph and Sokka scream in suprised.

Sokka almost fell off Appa when he heard that, but luckily Toph pulled his shirt.

"Aang, I get it she _is_ your wife. But man, you gotta hold that on. You guys has Bumi and Kya, my nephew is 7 years old, and Kya is only what is it? 9 months? A year?" he scolded him, truly annoyed, this time he doesn't make a joke.

"Wait a minute… Katara gaves birth already?! Aang, you have a damn two child?!" Toph asks in shock, gripping his collar.

Aang only replied it with a grin on his face like an idiot.

* * *

So, i re-watched Avatar The Last Airbender two weeks ago during my boring holiday, and I finished it in a weeks. And oh god, it never fails me to falling in love again and again! Still the best shows ever for me personally. It made me realized something that i was really into Tokka when i was a kid. I remember, i really deep in love with Toph, she's funny and savage, and she was... and still always be my favorite character ever in history, and how i loved Sokka's pun and jokes back then.

And immediately, i checked the pairing on ff because bro, i really need some Tokka fluff haha! Sadly, there's not too much of this pairing, i found a plenty of them but can't fullfield my desire of Tokka. But I fully understood, there's not that much of this pairing compare to Kataang and Zutara xD.

And man, how's long it's been since the last episode of ATLA? Ten years? Aw, i feel sooo old :(

I decided to write Tokka, like ASAP. Because i'm really in the mood and fire lol.

I'm really hoping there's still a people who will read this story, who stays in ATLA fandom. Besides, this is such a precious pair for me and storyline i've ever made. Eventhough, you're not Tokka fans pls read this too! haha xD

And I'm really happy to see any reviews!


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